A year ago, forward Teuvo Teravainen was considered a significant part of the Chicago Blackhawks’ future, having just won a Stanley Cup at the tender age of 20.
Now he’s part of what the Carolina Hurricanes hope will be a brighter future in Raleigh. The Hurricanes acquired Teravainen on Wednesday from Chicago along with oft-injured forward Bryan Bickell in exchange for two draft picks.
There's no question that Teravainen is still a youngster with potential, and Carolina GM Ron Francis is banking on him showing the form he flashed as he emerged as a pivotal part of the Blackhawks’ run to the 2015 Stanley Cup. Teravainen had 10 points in 18 games for Chicago in his first taste of NHL playoff experience, averaging 13:28 in ice time while playing up and down the team’s top three lines and contributing at timely moments throughout the Blackhawks' successful playoff run.
But the emergence of rookie-of-the-year finalist Artemi Panarin, who played on Chicago's top line with scoring champion Patrick Kane this past season, made Teravainen somewhat expendable. Although he averaged 15:21 in ice time during the regular season, Teravainen saw that number drop to 12:05 in the Hawks’ seven-game, first-round playoff loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Teravainen recorded 35 points during his sophomore season but had just one assist in the playoffs. Still, he is an NHL-ready, young talent who should help a Carolina team that has not made the playoffs since 2009 -- and the fact that he can play center is no small factor given the departure of captain Eric Staal.
The price the Hurricanes paid to obtain the young Finn wasn’t so much the draft picks but rather the willingness to also take Bickell, who was a candidate to be bought out by the Blackhawks. Bickell is owed $4.5 million in the final year of his contract, and because of his lack of productivity and injury issues, Chicago had tried in vain to trade him last season.
Bickell was dynamic during Chicago’s run to the 2013 Stanley Cup, when he had nine goals and 17 points. It earned him a whopping four-year, $16 million contract, but he has not been able to replicate that kind of production since.
Francis said he won't be buying out Bickell and intends on having the big forward in the lineup. Cost-conscious Carolina -- which already bought Alexander Semin out of his deal a year ago -- isn’t really in the business of paying players not to play.
As for Chicago GM Stan Bowman, the deal again shows why he’s one of the best in the business. Yes, he gave up an intriguing young player who is not yet close to his prime in Teravainen, but he has a deep, talented lineup that’s just one year removed from a championship, and he unloaded an unfriendly contract without having to use the buyout option. Bowman also recoups two picks -- a second-round selection in next week’s draft in Buffalo and a third-round pick in 2017 -- and thus further restocks the shelves.
Without Bickell's salary on the books, this deal also makes it easier to re-sign restricted free agent Andrew Shaw and perhaps make a run at unrestricted free agent Andrew Ladd.
Can you say win-win?
